Experts say many Black Friday mistakes happen before you start shopping — from skipping research to ignoring helpful AI tools.
Not every sale is real: Watch for price hikes disguised as discounts and for sketchy sellers offering deals that seem too good to be true.
Some items just aren’t worth buying this weekend, including seasonal apparel, off-brand TVs, and the newest iPhone.
Black Friday week is officially here — and while the excitement is real, so is the skepticism.
Shoppers know that not every “doorbuster” is actually a deal, and with prices still elevated across plenty of categories, it’s harder than ever to tell what’s truly worth buying. That’s why going into the season with a strategy matters.
To help sort the real bargains from the fake-outs, ConsumerAffairs interviewed Bobby Ghoshal, CEO of Dupe.com, a platform that uses AI to help shoppers find lower-priced alternatives to today’s most sought-after products.
Ghoshal says many of the most common shopping mistakes happen before we even add items to our carts — from buying at the wrong time to falling for misleading sale tags. Here’s what consumers need to know to stay on budget, spot smart buys, and avoid the most expensive Black Friday pitfalls.
Top three mistakes
While some sales have already kicked off, there’s still time to prepare – and mistakes to avoid. Ghoshal shared his top three mistakes consumers can make this Black Friday:
Going in blind. Some consumers still are not doing the research they need to in order to make smart purchasing decisions. They see what they want promoted by their favorite influencer, identify a 40% off sale at a trusted retailer, and assume that’s the best they can do. In order to have a successful shopping season, we must do our research and go in with a plan. Yes, it seems like a lot of work but there are tools to help.
Not using AI shopping tools. If you want to secure everything on your list for the best prices, AI is the way to go.
Playing loosey goosey with your budget. Make your budget ahead of time and stick with it. It’s so easy to get seduced by sitewide sales boasting 50% off. However, if it’s not in your budget, it’s not a good buy. Separately, if you budget $50 for a person on your list and end up saving $10, do not apply that to a separate item on your list. That’s a slippery slope that can leave you spending more overall.
How to spot a fake sale
Though everything you see online may look like a great deal, not every sale is what meets the eye. AI makes shopping easier, but it also makes scams easier, and it’s imperative for consumers to know how to spot a fake sale versus a real one.
Ghoshal says a fake sale can be defined in two ways:
A trusted brand that increases the price of popular items to make their sitewide sale look a little more appealing. The first can be a little tough to identify if you haven’t been paying attention to price histories of the items on your shopping list. When it’s a brand that we know and trust, we assume a 40-50% sitewide sale is a good enough deal. Do your homework beforehand AND price compare using trusted apps and shopping sites.
Sketchy sellers that are trying to pull one over on the consumer. If you’re unfamiliar with the seller and the price seems too good to be true, trust your instincts. Look into their review history. If they don’t have many reviews and the ones they do have are less than stellar, you know you’re getting scammed. If they have just a handful of reviews that are overall positive, but worded pretty similarly, that’s also a red flag.
Items to skip this Black Friday
As you’re looking at your gift lists, there are some things you may want to skip during Black Friday. Ghoshal recommended a few items not to race for this weekend:
Seasonal apparel. We will never see great deals on jackets and winter gear this early into the season. Retailers aren’t really incentivized to offer the deepest discounts on winter apparel this early in the season. If you want a deal on jackets, wait until spring when they will be clearing their inventory for florals.
Off-brand TVs. It doesn’t make sense to buy an off-brand TV during Black Friday when there are so many solid deals on reputable brands. Sure, you can find great deals on these sets, but they likely won’t last through the season. If you’re in the market for a TV, spend a few extra bucks on a name brand. You’re still going to get a fantastic deal and be happier in the long run.
The newest iPhone. Apple never has great Black Friday deals, so if you’re buying any Apple product, I suggest looking at Best Buy, Target, or Walmart. Either way, they just released this new iPhone. You may see some discounts in the form of gift card bundles with this iPhone, but you’re still going to be paying a premium.